Joshua A. Beckman MD, MS

Dr. Joshua Beckman is a Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt Medical School, and Director of the Section of Vascular Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, both in Nashville, Tennessee. After earning his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine in New York City, he completed an internship, residency, and chief residency in internal medicine at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and postgraduate fellowships in cardiovascular medicine and vascular medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Beckman served as the Cardiovascular Fellowship Program Director for 7 years at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is board certified in Cardiovascular Disease.

Dr. Beckman is the Director of the Section of Vascular Medicine within the Cardiovascular Division at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He cares for patients with a wide range of both heart and vascular disorders. Dr. Beckman has a special interest in peripheral artery disease, venous thromboembolism, aortic disease, perioperative management, thermal (temperature-related) diseases, and vasculitis.

Dr. Beckman is active in professional societies and has served in leadership roles for the major cardiovascular organizations. He is a former President of the Society for Vascular Medicine and is a past Chair of the American Heart Association’s Peripheral Vascular Disease Council. He has participated in multiple guidelines writing committees on Perioperative Risk Assessment and Management, Peripheral Artery Disease, and Thoracic Aortic Disease. He currently serves as the Chair-Elect for the AHA/ACC Task Force Guidelines and is an Associate Editor for the journal Circulation, the premier peer-reviewed cardiovascular journal. Dr. Beckman is a well-known educator, having won the Eugene Braunwald teaching award at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the W. Procter Harvey Young Teacher Award from the American College of Cardiology.

Dr. Beckman's research focuses on the mechanisms that cause vascular dysfunction and susceptibility to atherosclerosis, translating discoveries made at the lab bench to human beings. Dr. Beckman has an ongoing interest in understanding how diabetes impairs vascular function, investigating the salient mediators of hyperglycemia and insulin resistance. Ongoing investigations seek to understand the vascular and skeletal muscle mechanisms of PAD, the mechanisms of revascularization failure, and the mechanisms by which GLP-1 affects endothelial cell signaling and vasomotor function. He has mentored trainees at all levels from medical students to junior faculty.